The founders of Inniskillin Winery — Donald Ziraldo, Karl Kaiser, Debi Pratt, and Gerald Klose — have been awarded the Canadian Wine Industry Award of Distinction, the highest honour bestowed by Wine Growers Canada.
The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and reputation of Canada’s wine industry. Presented this week during a gathering of industry leaders in Niagara Falls, Ont., the award acknowledges the historic impact the Inniskillin team has had over the past five decades. Kaiser, who passed away in 2017, was honoured posthumously.
Inniskillin made history in July 1975 by becoming the first Canadian winery to receive a licence following Prohibition. Dan Paszkowski, president and CEO of Wine Growers Canada, praised the founders’ complementary skills and vision, noting their work laid the foundation for a winery that would eventually earn global acclaim.
A pivotal moment came in 1991, when Inniskillin’s Vidal Icewine won the prestigious Grand Prix d’Honneur at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France. Paszkowski said the award marked a “significant turning point” for Canadian wine, highlighting its potential on the world stage.
At the time of Inniskillin’s founding, Canadian wine production was dominated by labrusca grapes — a native North American variety better known for its sweetness than its refinement. In contrast, Ziraldo and Kaiser were early champions of Vitis vinifera grapes, the European varietals used in many of the world’s finest wines. Their bold decision to plant vinifera vines in Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula marked a new chapter for Canadian viticulture.
Reflecting on their ambitious beginnings, the Inniskillin website quotes Ziraldo’s spirited attitude: “Just tell us we can’t.” The site also captures the multicultural roots of the venture with the wry observation: “An Austrian and an Italian started a Canadian wine with an Irish name.”
Debi Pratt and Gerald Klose later joined Ziraldo and Kaiser to help guide Inniskillin’s growth. In 1994, the winery expanded westward to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, forming a vineyard and winery partnership with the Inkameep Indian Band, now known as Nk’Mip, in the Oliver-Osoyoos region.
Today, Inniskillin is owned by Arterra Wines Canada, based in Mississauga, Ont. Wine Growers Canada represents 90 per cent of Canadian wine production, with its members spanning the full wine value chain from grape growing to wine tourism.
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